Shattered Muse
by Vampkestrel
Summary: new chapter up ! j/s. sara finds out the stories she has been writing about the labyrinth since she left are real and she must go back to the lab. to find out what has gone wrong and once again solve the laybrinth as well as save it's king.R for future ch
1. inspiration lost

disclaimer i do not own labyrinth so don't sue. this is my first labyrith fic so i hope you like   
it.  
  
Shattered Muse  
  
Chapter 1  
  
  
  
  
Sara sits in the park looking at the sky for no particular reason. She taps her pencil on the   
elaborate notebook now resting on her knees.   
  
'Writer block, for the last few days nothing but writers block,' she thinks as she continues   
staring upward as if waiting for divine inspiration. She had been writing for two years now.   
Ever since.. well it was best not to think of that, or was it. Had it not been her inspiration.   
The reason she had started writing was to justify that it was reality and she hadn't dreamed it.   
She did it to preserve her adventures from the fading of time and memory. Then it became more   
then a journal she had started to write about things in the labyrinth that she had never seen or   
experienced. She chalked it up to the fact her imagination was running on over drive. Tale   
after tale poured into her notebook, the first notebook of many. She soon had volumes filled  
with side sketches about the lives and stories of creatures all set in the same place. Lately   
though for some reason the tales had been coming to her less and less. Now she couldn't write at  
all. Had she simply lost her muse? Or maybe she has finally out grown writing these fairy   
tales. She had attempted to write about other things but it was all for not, for simply nothing  
else would come to her.  
  
She finally gave up and started to walk home. She was babysitting tonight but she didn't mind so   
much it wasn't like she had anything better to do. Her and Toby had become quite close. He was   
now five and had an insatiable curiosity about everything. His favorite thing was hearing his   
sister tell him stories. He did not to her knowledge know the truth about what had happened   
to him when he was two but sometimes he would look at her in away during a story that she  
wondered if it had sparked a memory. What memories do people posses of being two though?   
It wasn't very likely but anything was possible.   
  
"Sara!" He said gleefully wrapping her leg in a tight hug.  
  
"Hi Toby. So what shall we do tonight? I have a little homework to get done but I'm sure I can  
do that after you go to sleep."  
  
"I want a story." He says looking up through a fringe light brown hair.  
  
"I haven't written anything new, I'm sorry." She says leading him back into the living room.  
  
"That's ok Sara read me an old one I don't mind," he says smiling brightly at her.  
  
She smiles back at him and remembers how childish she use to be, a teenage prima donna. Her mom  
had taken off to pursue her career as an actress. She had hated her stepmother for taking her   
mom's place and her dad for letting her mom go. After her adventure in the labyrinth she had  
grown up tremendously and learned how to cope with her stepmother even though things weren't  
perfect between them they got along much better.  
  
"All right Toby which one do you want to hear?"  
  
"How about one of the ones about the Goblin King?" He said eyes shining.  
  
"Sure thing." She goes get one of her earlier notebooks when she runs into her father.  
  
"Sara we'll be out kind of late I hope you don't mind." He said patting her on the arm.  
  
"Oh that's ok I was just going to read to Toby and then do some homework."  
  
"Ok honey we'll see you later." He said and walked to the door with her stepmother.  
  
She grabs a well-worn book from the shelf. She surprisingly had not only written stories about  
Jareth but he was not always the bad guy in them. After all he had put her through she could   
not bring herself to hate him. The look in his eyes when she had spoken the ill-fated words  
"you have no power over me" still haunted her. The depth of sadness and loneliness under the   
hardness that he had shown her made her wonder. But after all they where only stories she had   
written about him it's not like they where real. Who knew what he was really like? She walked   
back downstairs and sit on the couch next to Toby.  
  
"Ok how about the one of him when he was your age?" she said turning the pages in the book.  
  
"Cool I haven't heard that one in forever." He snuggles next to her and leans over to look at her  
drawings.   
  
She laughs lightly and begins to read. 


	2. Jareth and Praug

Chapter 2  
  
A little boy, who is around six or seven, runs through the garden of an enormous castle.   
He can hear a man yelling for him but he refuses to go back. He angrily wipes a stray tear   
from his eye as he sits down by a tree in the abandoned part of the garden. His father was the  
goblin king and made sure to never let the boy forget that. "Training" his father would say.   
"To rule in this land weakness can not be tolerated. To let your control over the goblins to   
slip is to ensue chaos." But for Jareth the goblins where the only people he had to play with.   
As he sat against the tree a small goblin walked by.   
  
"J.j.jareth?" the little goblin said walking up to him. "You ok?"  
  
"Hi Praug, yea I'm ok my dad was just yellin at me again. He don't like us hangin out."  
  
The little Goblin rose to his full 2 feet and said, " You want me to go k.k.kick him for ya?" he   
said hopping around with his fists up.  
  
"Would you really?" Jareth said teasing his friend.  
  
"Awww h.h.heck no. Your dad is just too scary. No offense or nothin."  
  
"It's alright. When I'm Goblin King I'll be nice to all the goblins. I don't know why my dad   
has to be so mean for."  
  
"So ok Jareth I'm sure you'll make a great king," Praug said setting next to him.  
  
The two friends continued to talk until it was almost dark. "Well I better get back or my dad   
will really get mad."   
  
"Ok, Jareth I'll see ya tomorrow," Praug said as he waved goodbye as Jareth headed back to the   
castle.  
  
Jareth walked back home and started to make his way to his room when a rough hand grabbed him   
from behind.   
  
"You where out fraternizing with the goblins again weren't you?" His fathers voice boomed making   
the small boy cower.  
  
"Yes, but father he's my friend," he said whimpering.  
  
"You don't need goblins as friends. If I have to teach you that the hard way then so be it.   
Tomorrow you little 'friend' shall be put in the oblate permanently."   
  
"No!" he screamed.  
  
"You will also learn not to question me," his father said as he slaps him hard across the face.   
Jareth just sits here stunned as tears roll down his cheek.  
  
In his mind he thinks "Someday I will be a better king then you, and then you'll see."  
  
  
  
  
Sara stops reading and realizes that the story might be too violent for Toby. She had always   
changed that part in the past but for reason this time she was so absorbed in the story she   
forgot to.  
  
"Sara? That's not how it goes is it? Remember?" Toby says looking up at her his eyes filling   
with tears. "Jareth's dad sees him and Praug playing and let's them be friends. Isn't that how  
it goes."  
  
"I...I'm sorry Toby I shouldn't have read that I usually change it to a happy ending for you."   
She says shaking her head wondering what could have come over her.   
  
Toby lowers his head and then looks back up at her. "Sara I don't like that version but I think   
your right that is the real one." He then gets up and runs over to the TV and pops in one of   
his favorite movies in the VCR. He jumps back on the couch as if nothing had happened, and   
smiles as the first part of Aladdin starts. Sara stares at him for a minute thinking about what   
he said. How could there be a real version anyway? It was just a story after all..wasn't it? 


	3. crumbled

Chapter 3  
  
It had been a long troubling evening for Sara and the worst part was she wasn't even sure why.   
Toby had gone to sleep an hour ago and she was now trying to focus on her Pr-Calculus homework.   
After her fifth attempt to focus she gives up. Calculus would just have to wait. She suddenly   
gets an odd feeling in the back of her head. She smiles and grabs her newest notebook. It was  
always like that she would suddenly get an odd feeling and then the stories would just flow.   
Her inspiration must have finally come back. She hastily puts her pen to paper when she was   
overcome by oblivion.  
  
She awakes to the hand of her father gently shaking her shoulder.  
  
"Sara we're home. Why don't you go ahead and go to bed honey you've been studying to much and   
must have fallen asleep." He says and walks out the room.  
  
She sits up bewildered. Did she fall asleep? The last thing she remembered was her trying to   
write and then she blacked out. Well so much for writing anything new, she though warily. She  
reaches over to close her notebook when she notices the page is full. She quickly flips through  
and yes, a new story had been added. The problem was she didn't remember writing it. It was in  
her handwriting though. What could all this mean? She opens to the first page of the story and  
starts to read.  
  
~~~~  
  
The labyrinth stretches before the girl. With a determined look she sets out on her long journey  
to the center. She would reclaim what she had lost  
  
~~~~  
  
Sara stops reading for a second. 'This sounds like my story. Could I have been so out of it I  
just rewrote my adventure again? She shakes her head and continues on.  
  
  
~~~~~  
  
The girl sees no fairies or dwarfs to guide her way this time, just a feeling of emptiness. She   
runs down the long path she remembered from so long ago but now she knew her way. Now the   
labyrinth wasn't so inviting and magical. The air felt like death. She ran her hand along the   
wall to find the opening and cringed at the eyes that followed her. They where only plants of   
some kind but they still gave her the creeps. She finally found the opening she was looking for  
and stepped through. The walls had become decayed and the rock was crumbling in most places   
she was able to climb through holes in most of them as she made her way. The girl's feeling of   
unease grew and grew as she went forward. Ahead of her she saw a familiar figure crumpled on the  
ground. She clasped her hands to her mouth and ran forward. Uttering simply "Please God no."  
  
~~~~  
  
  
The story ends and Sara frantically searches to see if there is anymore. How could she have   
written this? What did it all mean? Most of all though, she wondered why she suddenly felt   
like crying. Who could it have been lying in the labyrinth?   
  
She heaved a slow breath and repeated to her self. 'It's only a story, it's only a story.' 


	4. dreams pull

Hope ya'll are enjoying the fic so far. Reviews are always appreciated.  
  
  
  
Chapter 4  
  
  
  
  
Sara tried to sleep that night but she tossed and turned with fitful nightmares. She was   
always running through the labyrinth as it crumbled before her eyes. All she saw was death  
and destruction and the eerie silence. She couldn't understand why she was having these   
dreams. Maybe they where from anxiety from school. Either way she finally gave up and decided  
to get some milk from the fridge. She crept into the kitchen the hushed silence of the   
twilight hour. As she searched for a glass a noise startled her and she turned to see Toby.  
  
"Sara? I had a bad dream." He said rubbing the sleep from his eyes.  
  
"Me too, Toby me too. Why don't I pour us both a glass of milk and you tell me about yours and  
then it won't be so scary. Ok?"  
  
"Ok. I dreamed about the labyrinth, but it wasn't a nice one like in your stories it was  
scary."  
  
She nearly dropped the glass she had been holding. Could it be he was having the same dreams as  
her? No, ridiculous it must have been because of what she had read earlier.  
  
"I'm sorry Toby I shouldn't have read you that story earlier it must have given you  
nightmares." She said giving him a big hug.  
  
"No, I've had them for a few days now. They just keep getting scarier though."  
  
"Don't worry Toby it's just a dream."  
  
"Ok, if you say so." He said with little conviction.  
  
She stays up with him while they drink their milk and then takes him back upstairs and tucks him   
in.  
  
"Sara?"   
  
"Yes," she replied.  
  
"Could you hand me Lancelot?" Sara smiles. Lancelot had once been her favorite bear but she had  
given it up to Toby and it soon became his favorite as well. Whenever he was feeling sick or  
blue he always slept with it.  
  
"Sure thing." She says and takes Lancelot down from the shelf and hands it to Toby. "Sweet  
dreams."   
  
"Night, Sara." He says snuggling under the covers with his bear.  
  
Sara walks in to her room and sits in front of the mirror and stares at her own reflection.   
She remembers the party when she came back and how they had told her they would come if she   
needed them. Maybe it was time she called them again. If they could help settle her fears   
that her story had created it was worth it.   
  
She cleared her throat and said aloud. "Hoggel, Sir Diddamus, Ludo, I need you please come."  
  
She waited but there was not answer. Maybe she was being silly, but what if the reason they   
hadn't come, was that they where in trouble. Then something crept into the edge of her   
thoughts, 'What if they aren't real and it was all a dream?' No, no that was impossible she  
knew they where real, but that left very few alternatives of why they had not come. She   
decided to try again.  
  
"Please come back I need you I need all of you." Still there was only silence. She felt   
overwhelmed by an emotion she could not place and felt the tears well up in her eyes. She had   
to know she just had to. Then a thought struck her it was risky but she felt a pulling on her   
soul that had to be answered. She quickly got up grabbed a jacket and ran to Toby's room.  
  
"Toby are you awake?" she said creeping in.  
  
"Sara what's wrong?" He could hear his sister's voice shaking.  
  
"I need you to do something for me Toby and I just hope it works. Remember the story I told you  
about the Labyrinth and how I went there?" Well it was all true and I need to go back there   
because I think something is wrong."  
  
"I thought so." He said in a small voice. "I know I'm just a kid but I've been having dreams  
about the labyrinth along time I just knew it had to be real."  
  
She smiled as if her heart was breaking. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you before."  
  
"It's ok Sara just promise you'll come back and read to me about your adventures."  
  
"Sure thing brother. All I want you to do is say that you wish that the goblins would come and  
take me away right now. If it works I'll try to be back as soon as I can ok?"  
  
"Ok," Toby ran and gave his big sister a hug and then said. "I wish the goblins would come and  
take you away right now."  
  
It was silent and Sara fell to her knees in defeat, but then she heard a faint scurrying and   
feel of feathers against her face. Then the blackness overcame her again.  
  
This time when she came too she was alone. She recognized the surroundings from two years ago.   
She was at the front gate. She was confused though. 'Shouldn't Jareth have taken me to the   
castle like he did Toby? Why am I back here and why didn't he stay to tell me what to do?'  
  
She looked around and saw the sorry disrepair the labyrinth had fallen into. She felt this as   
a bad omen considering her story. She hurried and ran ahead and felt something in her jacket  
hit her leg. She reached in her pocket and pulled out a small journal. It wasn't as elaborate  
as the ones she had been using but it was empty and even had a pen clipped on the spine. 'I   
wonder how that got here,' she thought and shoved it back in her pocket and continued running.  
  
After about five minutes she reached the area that her book had last described and there, lying  
on the ground was the rumpled shape of a familiar figure.  
  
"Oh God no." she cried out and ran to his side and hoped she wasn't too late. 


	5. reunion

Chapter 5  
  
Sara ran to the fallen figure lying before her. His diminutive shape stirred slightly as she   
approached.  
  
"Hoggel?! Is that you? Are you alright?" She cried leaning down to see if he was injured.  
  
"Sara?" he says unsteadily. "How..how did you get back here? You shouldn't have come Sara."   
He says and shakes his head as he tries to sit up. She quickly helped him.  
  
"What has happened? Where is everyone?"  
  
"Cor, I don't know. The goblins started attacking all creatures in the labyrinth, even   
themselves. One minute it was just an average day in the labyrinth and then chaos. I got   
attacked by three of them a few minutes before you got here."  
  
"How could Jareth let this happen? I mean they are his people after all shouldn't he be   
governing them?" She said in dismay.  
  
"From I what I heard, he's missing. He came up missing a few hours after all this started."  
  
"How long has it been like this?"   
  
"Time don't mean much in the labyrinth you know, but if I had to guess I'd say nearly half a  
year."  
  
"Half a year!"   
  
"Yea, it's just been getting worse and worse. The whole labyrinth is falling apart with out  
Jareth. It's his magic that keeps everything together, you know."  
  
"What have you been doing all this time? Have you tried to find him?"   
  
"Sara I told you before I'm nothing but a coward and if something is strong enough to defeat   
Jareth then I don't want to mess with them. Mostly I've been hiding. I know a lot of passages   
that not many others know about."  
  
"I have to find out what's going on. Hoggel will you help me get to the castle?"  
  
"Oh cor, not again," he said and looked around. "Ok but we better hurry you don't want to be  
out here when night falls."  
  
"Night? I was here for 13 hours last time and there was never night."  
  
"That's because Jareth rearranged time for you. Night comes soon and with everything in chaos   
you don't want to be out wandering around. There are worse things then goblins in the labyrinth   
now. Evil just seems to be attracted here as of lately." Hoggel limps his way to the center of  
a path and pulls out a handle from his pouch. He quickly attaches it to the ground and pulls   
up revealing a door.  
  
  
Sara hurries after him. "Where are we?" she asks when she reaches the bottom of the ladder.  
  
"These catacombs connect almost all the oblates in the labyrinth. It's even more confusing then   
the labyrinth it's self, but I know my way around so we should be safer."  
  
They walk onward in silence. Sara looks at the broken faces of the false alarms that have now  
gone silent. It was rather eerie. In the distance they heard a faint scratching of claws   
against the floor.  
  
"Umm that could be a rat...right?" Sara said.  
  
"Could be but I doubt it is. Let's hurry." Hoggel said walking even faster even though his  
ankle obviously pained him. The sound of claws came faster as they hurried on. They rounded  
a corner and Hoggel came to a complete stop.  
  
"Oh no." He said as they stood facing a dead end. The passage before them had collapsed into  
a pile of rubble that they could not get around.   
  
Hoggel turns to her "We're gonna have to back track there's no other way through."  
  
"We can't go back though we don't even know what's following us." Sara sighs and kicks the wall  
beside her in frustration.  
  
"What was that?" Hoggel asks."  
  
"What? It was me kicking the wall."  
  
"No, kick it again." She did and this time she noticed an unmistakable hollow sound.  
  
"There must be a door here. I never knew about that." He says in wonder. He searches around   
and pulls some of the smaller rocks out of the way and clears off an old wooden door. "Funny   
it looks like I would have noticed this before." He puts it on the wall and opens it. The noise   
is almost right behind them now and they hurry to the next room and Hoggel removes the door.   
  
"There even if something was following us it can't get though now."  
  
They walk into the dark room.  
  
"Is this one of the Oblates?" Sara asks.  
  
"It must be now if I can just find a light." They hear a light moaning sound from the corner.  
  
"Is someone there." Sara calls out squinting in the direction of the noise. "Hurry and find a   
light, I can't see a thing. Is someone there?"  
  
"H..hello" A weak voice replies.  
  
That voice sounds familiar...could it be? She didn't have time to finish her thought when the  
sound of a match striking brought the room into a bright focus for her. Sitting against the   
wall was the last person she expected to see.  
  
The person looks up at the two of them and says. "Do I know you?"  
  
  
  
  
  
Authors note: yes cliff hangers are evil aren't they *evil laughter* muahhahahahhaha.   
hope ya'll like it so far :) 


	6. Jareth's memory

Chapter 6  
  
Authors note- Sorry it's been about a week since I put up a new chapter, but alas here is the   
next please review it's what keeps me going.  
  
  
Sara squinted at the figure through the dim light. It was a man in his thirties wearing ragged  
clothes and his hair hung limply around his shoulders. Even through his disarray Sara could   
tell that could be no other then Jareth the Goblin King.  
  
"Jareth is that you?" Sara says walking up to him.  
  
He looks up at her dumbly, "Could be. I'm not to sure myself actually." He sits up straighter  
against the wall and winces.   
  
Sara holds her hand out and helps him up. His voice sounded softer then she remembered and he  
also had a hauntingly lost look in his eyes. What could have happen to him? Sure he wasn't   
her favorite person, but he never did harm her or Toby really. Plus, the entire time she was in  
the labyrinth nothing really tried to harm her. She was scared sometimes, but the attempts on   
her life were clumsy if not laughable. She had thought about this when she had gotten back and  
realized that with all Jareth's power if he had wanted her dead she would be. He had only   
meant to dissuade her not to hurt her.  
  
Jareth stands in front of Sara still psychically impressive but lacking the commanding air he   
once possessed. She reached out to him as her deep concern for him shook her to her core. She  
brushes a stray lock from his face and feels the grit of dried blood in it.  
  
"Maybe you hit your head. Can you remember anything?" Sara asked bewildered. Hoggel moved up   
beside her looking just as puzzled.   
  
"I hate to break the reunion but what ever was following us is still out there I've heard it   
scratching around the door." Hoggel says looking briefly to Jareth and then the door.  
  
Jareth stares of into the darkness for a minute and then turns to Hoggel. "Is there another way   
out of here?"  
  
"I've never been here before so I don't know." He said shaking his head in dismay.  
  
"Look I don't know who you are or who this Jareth is you keep calling me, but we do need to get  
out of her. I just have a bad feeling about this."  
  
"And being locked in an oblate doesn't give you a bad feeling?" Hoggel shot back. His eyes go   
wide as he realizes who he's insulted, but Jareth pays him no mind.  
  
"Well I guess there's only one thing to do, search." Sara says walking to the nearest wall and   
running her hand along it looking for a hidden door.   
  
All three of them search the room in this manner but after an hour they give up.  
  
"I can't find anything." Sara says sitting down.  
  
"Yea us either." Jareth replies looking around him. "So since we seem to have the time why   
don't you tell me what's going on?"  
  
Sara nods, "Well I'm Sara and this is Hoggel, and I'm pretty sure your Jareth. You must have   
just lost your memory somehow. I think you might have hit your head at some point and that   
could be the reason. I'm not too sure what's going on either. Just what Hoggel has told me   
that the labyrinth is in chaos. We where on our way to find you to see if you knew why... Anyway   
you're the king of the goblins. I think that about sums it up."  
  
"So Hogwart?"  
  
"Hoggel" he says  
  
"Right, Hogbrain."  
  
"No, Hoggel. Either your memory is worse then you said or you remember more then you realize.  
  
"Fine, Hoggel..."  
  
"Yes."  
  
"Ok, Hoggel, what is causing the labyrinth to be in chaos... by the way what is the labyrinth?"  
  
Hoggel and Sara twitch. "The labyrinth surrounds the Goblin City and the castle. I'm not sure   
why it happened I just know there's strange creatures here and the goblins are running amuck."  
  
"I see. Well not really, but let's get out of here and go to the castle. You said I'm the king   
right well I should be able to put things right."  
  
"Apparently his ego was no damaged along with his memory." Hoggel grumbles.   
  
Sara laughs, and pats Jareth's arm. "So how should we get out?"  
  
"I have no idea."  
  
"Oh I see." She says as she stands up again. "Maybe we're just looking in the wrong places.   
Hmmm, the ceiling is too high to get out that way. What about the floor?"  
  
"This is an oblate there's nothing further down then that." Hoggel says.  
  
"Still maybe we're just taking it for granted there's nothing further down." She starts   
searching around the floor. Over in a far corner a piece of metal catches her eye and sure   
examines it closely.  
  
"Hoggel come look it's a handle!" Him and Jareth run over to her.  
  
"Well I'll be. So it is." He tries pulling on it but it won't budge. "Must be stuck. Give me  
a hand here." Jareth and Sara grab on and they all pull. Finally the door gives way toppling  
them to the ground. As they sit up they look into the new exit.  
  
"I guess there's nothing else to do but go down." Sara says peering into the darkness.  
  
Silently the trio begins to descend. 


	7. scars

disclaimer-I do not own labyrinth or anything of the sort. if you want to sue it will be squeezing blood  
from a turnip i assure you.  
  
author note-thanks to Katzztar for the spelling corrections and to Star for being my beta.   
  
Ok well i hope ya'll are likeing this so far. this chapter might be a little slow but my muse has  
taken a vacation for now. Reviews make my must come back though :)  
  
chapter 7  
  
  
The trio descends into the darkness below. As they reach the bottom Sara reaches out to take  
hold of Jareth and Hoggel's hand.  
  
"It's so dark I don't want any of us getting lost." She says. Squinting in the blackness.   
"Hoggle did you bring the light with you?"  
  
"Yes but it doesn't seem to be doing much good." He says as he hands it to her. The space  
around them brightens a little bit but it doesn't project very far.  
  
"Well this is just great." Jareth says lamely.  
  
"You know we could have left you in the obulette." She says turning towards him. He frowns but   
makes no further comment as they look around their new surroundings.  
  
"It looks like we have no choice but to explore. There's 4 doors here to start with, which   
shall we choose first?" Sara says.  
  
"Why don't we just start with the first one and make our way one at a time?" Jareth says.  
  
"Well I guess I don't have better ideas. Let's go." She says pulling Hoggle and Jareth along  
with her. The walls are made of black stone that seems to cast the illusion that it actually  
sucks the light from the room. Besides a faint sparkle in the stones there wasn't much to look  
at. Pretty soon they come to a branch in the path.  
  
"So what now?" Hoggle asks.  
  
"Wait there's writing on the side. Hold the light closer so I can read it." She says leaning  
in. "It's hard to make out... it seems to say 'blood and fear scratch on through be careful if   
it does not follow you.' How odd." She looks at the two doors.  
  
"Well it looks like something has scratched this one up pretty bad. There's even a red stain   
that I can only guess that it is blood on it." Jareth says off handedly.   
  
"Umm Sara wouldn't be a bad idea to go somewhere that has marks like that?" Hoggle says   
grimacing.  
  
"Well the door says to go in that one so I guess we will." She pulls open the door and screams.   
A pile of bones falls at her feet. She quickly calms her self and enters the door stepping   
over the bones in her path.  
  
"Creepy." Hoggle comments.   
  
They walk on for about an hour when they come to a new room. It opens out some and has wood   
and rubble scattered about on the floor. Sara notices Hoggle is limping worse and   
suggests they stop for awhile. She gathers a pile of the wood in the center and pulls out her   
lighter and starts a fire.  
  
"Corr! Sara I didn't know you knew magic." Hoggle says in amazement looking at her lighter.  
  
"It's not magic it's just a lighter...like hand held flint I guess you could say. I just carry   
one to warm up my eyeliner with." They sit around the fire as Hoggle warily rubs his leg.   
  
Sara stretches and rotates her stiff neck. Jareth scoots closer to her and gently begins to   
give her a shoulder massage.  
  
"Thanks that feels great." She says closing her eyes. "Well we've been at it for hours we   
should all take a break and then continue on."   
  
Jareth leans against a rather large rock behind him closes his eyes. Hoggle just stretches out   
on the ground with the intent of taking a quick nap. Sara on the other hand just stares into   
the fire. She notices Hoggel is shivering in his sleep from lying on the cold stone floor.   
Sara takes off her jacket and places it over him. Her notebook falls out of her pocket and she   
picks it up and goes to sit next to the fire again. She opens it to the page she had left off   
at when she had come to the labyrinth. She scans over the next few pages and it describes word  
for word what had happened to them. Finally she catches up to present time and reads half   
scared of what it might say.  
  
~The three sit resting not aware of the war that goes on in each of the others hearts. The now   
overthrown king stirs in his fitful dreams. His mind has become tangled and confused as he   
tries to figure out who he is. His dream is like a shattered mirror of his memories. He is a   
small boy and a comparatively large man looms over him. Telling him how to live how to act and  
how to feel. In his dream he feels the remnants of scars that he no longer knew existed.   
Inching up his back, bringing back the memory of a whip. He whimpers slightly in his sleep.~  
  
Sara looks up as she really hears him do it. All of her stories that she thought she had made  
up had been true, and now this one seemed to be coming true as well. She leans over and gently   
shakes Jareth to wake him up from his nightmare. In his sleep he pulls her closer to him for   
comfort. With out waking he wraps her in his arms. He smiles in his sleep his nightmare has   
vanished at least for now. She looks at him in concern and gently pulls his bangs from his face   
that had fallen in his sleep. Here was the man she had feared but she couldn't help but feel  
protective of him in his weakened state. She couldn't get free to read anymore and was   
hesitant to wake him so she just leaned back and enjoyed the warmth of his body against hers.   
She would rest and take what comfort she could get at this time.  
  
Author- so what ya think review please! 


	8. kweh?

Chapter 8  
  
Disclaimer- ok yea it's been awhile... Ironically enough I lost my muse for awhile. Well  
you know the drill. No own no sue  
  
Sara awakens to the sound of Jareth clearing his throat. She sits up and turns red as she  
realizes that she has fallen asleep on him.  
  
"Not that I'm complaining, but how did you end up over here?"  
  
"Well, you where having a nightmare and when I tried to wake you, you grabbed me and I didn't  
have the heart to pull away. Plus it was warmer over here..." She says idly.   
  
"Ah, I see. Well whatever the case I say we get moving again." He says helping her to her   
feet.  
  
Hoggel is also already awake and is surveying their current surroundings.   
  
"Cor, there's another path towards the back, but the odd thing is I can't find our entrance."  
  
  
  
Sara looks around as well, "You know the labyrinth is the same way. When I was going through i  
t the paths would change, I guess the underground part is no different. Well come on guys   
let's go." She smiles at them and heads towards the exit. Hoggel and Jareth hurry to catch  
up to her and they walk on in silence. The path they are taking seems to get lighter and   
lighter. A soft 'kweeh' noise can be heard in the distance. The three weary travels proceed   
with caution not sure what they would find next.  
  
"Kweeeehh." The sound comes again only louder. The tunnel opens up into another room this  
one is fully illuminated though. They all peak around the corner looking for the source of   
the noise. Sara's eyes get big as she sees a bird like creature sitting in the middle of   
the room. The noise they had heard apparently had been it crying. She steps into the room   
and calls out.  
  
"Excuse us. We don't mean to intrude but we are a bit lost. I couldn't help but notice you   
seem upset is there anything we can do to help?"  
  
"Kweeaah? Oh, oh pardon me. I'm a mess, I haven't had visitors in years..." The strange   
creature says wiping away its tears. It rises from the ground giving the others a better  
view of it. The creature seemed humanoid in shape except it had a long feathery tail,   
wings, and feathers running down its body. Long feathers framed its face giving the illusion   
that it had hair. The skin, except for his face, was covered with a soft down. Its clothes   
where black trimmed with silver contrasting against the multi hues of blue and silver that  
were its feathers.  
  
The creature, or man, rather now that she had a chance to really look him over walked towards   
them cocking his head in curiosity.  
  
"Pardon, I have horrible manners. Allow me to introduce my self, I was a man of wealth, and   
taste, but I've been down here such a long, long time...well enough of that I am known as   
Trivael." (AN- noo bad author. do not steal lines from rolling stones...sorry I always wanted   
to do that.)  
  
"Hello, I'm Sara and these are my friends Hoggel and Jareth." She says meeting Trivael's pale  
silver eyes.  
  
"Ahh, I see, or perhaps I do not. It makes no difference." He says gesturing with one pale  
hand.  
  
"I hope you don't mind me asking but what are you doing here?" Sara asks him.  
  
"Well you see. Many years ago that bastard goblin king locked me down here. I have the  
privilege of getting on his permanent bad side." The group winces at the mention of the  
goblin king.  
  
Trivael notices their reactions; "Oh do you know him? I feel sorry for you if you do.   
Biggest pain in the ass I ever meet and the way he treated his son..."  
  
"Son?" Asks Sara asking giving the now confused Jareth a quizzical look.  
  
"Yes son. Hmmm, come to think of it. He had the same name as your friend there; Jareth was it?   
Well anywho, one day I was visiting the kingdom in hopes for an alliance and he had the  
audacity to stick me down here. He was a cruel man, never did take kindly to anyone after   
his wife died. I almost feel sorry for him, but hating your own people is no way to rule.   
I told him as much and I think that's what put me on his black list." He says gesturing idly.  
  
Jareth frowns, "Why would the former king hate his own people?"  
  
"Well, I hear there was a terrible accident involving the queen. Horrible, she was such a kind   
lady. No one knows for sure, but some how the king blamed the goblins for it. Wait, did you   
say 'former king'?"  
  
Sara steps in and says, "Yes, that king is gone. I'm not sure what happened to him but Jareth  
is the new king. The only problem is he has lost his memory." She says pointing to Jareth.  
  
"Oh, well that is good news and bad news all at once. Might I ask what the new king is doing   
down here regardless of his memory loss. He won't find a jog down memory lane here."  
  
"I came to the labyrinth just yesterday and it was in ruins some one or something over threw  
him and I found him down here just like we found you. We are currently trying to make it   
back to the castle. The doors seem to be open now why have you not tried to escape?"  
  
"They are? They have been sealed with magic. Plus, awhile back something really evil came  
through here. I didn't get a good look since I hid as soon as the darkness reached the room.   
I was so scared I didn't dare try to follow what ever it was. What ever it was it left   
those scratches in the floor."  
  
They look at the scratches identical to the ones that they had been following. The room   
its self was sparsely furnished, but the thought of some one surviving down here for so   
long was incomprehensible.  
  
Hoggel had been wandering around but had stopped and wandered back over to the group.   
"How exactly did you survive down here for so long?" he asks skeptically.  
  
"Oh well magic provides the basis necessities. He wanted me to suffer not to die more  
evidence of his sadism if you ask me."  
  
Jareth nods, "I'm not sure how long I was in the room you found me in, but every few hours   
food would appear before me. Who ever unsealed the doors must have left some spells intact.  
What I can't figure out is after I became king why did I not stop this barbarism." Jareth  
says clenching his fist.  
  
"Well you weren't all that nice of a ki...oww," Hoggel says as Sara kicks him.  
  
"Maybe you didn't know it existed." She adds quickly.  
  
"Maybe," he says still distraught.  
  
"Well what ever the reason you're here now and I'm tired of being here so let's go.   
The door is this way." Trivael opens the door on the opposite wall. "Milady?" he   
says offering Sara his arm. She smiles and takes it as Jareth frowns at their backs  
as he follows in silence.   
  
Hoggel notes Jareth's displeasure and raises and eyebrow. He had a feeling getting   
to the castle wasn't going to be their only problem.  
  
  
  
AN- ok so what did you think. Don't worry this is a definite J/S fic. Trivael's  
species will be revealed later don't worry it's not a plot hole. I'm going to try   
to do a drawing of him and post it on my web site as soon as I can get access to a scanner. 


	9. fluffy and triad

Disclaimer- 9th verse same as the first.  
  
Chapter 9  
  
The motley crew continued on and the path seemed to get lighter as they went along.   
Small glowing orbs magically lit their paths. They all hoped that they where leaving   
the worst behind them. The monotony started to grate on Sara's nerves. She was patient  
but this was ridiculous. They had been walking for hours now. She slipped her journal  
out of her pocket and decided to read and try to figure out more of what was happing  
around them.  
  
  
The strange alliance now included the former prince of a land all but forgotten. They  
did not know who are what he really was but the girl found herself comforted to be in  
his presence. The goblin king followed them in silence not sure of what to make of the  
new comer but felt him as more of a nuisance then anything. The group passes several   
sealed doors. The inhabitants of these prisons are beyond help and their prison had  
long ago become their tomb. The tunnel widens ahead of them into a small room whose  
only occupants were two gargoyles.  
  
Sara looks up from her journal and regards the two stone creatures now in front of her.   
The first statue looked rather cat like with long leather wings and the other looked more  
like something she'd find adorning a chapel.  
  
"Well what do we do now?" Trivael asks thumping one of the gargoyles on the head.   
  
Quicker then any of them could blink the catlike one snapped at his hand.  
  
In a low gravely voice it said, "I'd watch who you are thumping bird."  
  
The second one spoke up then, "Yes that is so, or you may be thumped back."  
  
The cat one stretches its wings shaking off dust.  
  
"Are you really made of stone?" Sara asks bewildered.  
  
"Are you really that stupid? We are stone when we choose to be. We are the royal guards of   
this prison. I am Triad the bringer of death and destruction." The second gargoyle said   
haughtily. "And this is my partner Fluffy." It said pointing to the feline one.  
  
"Fluffy?" The group looked on confusion.  
  
"Yes Fluffy do you have a problem with that?" It said extending its very sharp feline claws.   
  
"Nope no problem here." Trivael said backing away.  
  
"Seeing as we are the guards in a forgotten prison, your presence here can mean only two things.   
One, you are trying to escape, or two you're trying to help some one else escape. So we   
must kill you." Triad said matter of factly.  
  
"Yes nothing personal you see. Just doing our jobs." Fluffy said slinking closer to the group.  
  
"No wait! See this guy, he's the king of the goblins so he's like your boss right?" Sara said  
pointing to Jareth who looked more then a little irritated about the whole situation.  
  
"Nope won't work the king was old, and an ass. This guy looks like a poof." Triad said   
standing up.  
  
"No, they're telling the truth the old king died. Prince Jareth took his place." Hoggel  
said gaining some nerve. The two guards don't look impressed.  
  
"Aww, but we haven't had a good smiting in forever." Fluffy said flicking its tail.  
  
"How about this if you're really the king of the goblins prove it." Triad said smirking.  
  
Jareth had finally gotten fed up and marched up to the pair, "Now why in the name of all that   
is holy would I prove my self to two low class incompetent fools such as yourselves. I should   
throw you both into the bog of eternal stench and let you sink to the bottom and stay there for  
impending our progress." He says in a tone Sara knew all too well.  
  
The two shocking gargoyles look back and forth to each other, as they feel and immense power  
building up in the man that stood before them.  
  
"Good enough for me how about you Fluffy?"  
  
"Just dandy, can we eat the bird though?" It asked hopefully.  
  
Jareth thinks for a moment, "well…"  
  
"Don't you dare. You can not eat our friend." Sara says interrupting him.  
  
"Well said milady." Trivael says from his hiding place behind her. He looks nervously   
at the cat.  
  
"Spoil sports." Fluffy says sitting back down.  
  
"Do either of you know how to get to the castle?" she asks.  
  
"Which one?" Triad asks.  
  
"Right, which one?"  
  
"The castle of the goblin King that is in the center of the labyrinth." She says once again   
confused.  
  
"Oh why didn't you say so in the first place." Fluffy says.  
  
"Right, you should have just asked that to begin with. Less confusing you know."  
  
"So you do know the way?" she asks again hopefully.  
  
"Nope not a clue," Fluffy says lying down.  
  
"Nada, zero, zip. Sorry."  
  
"I should have known it wouldn't be that easy. Can you at least tell us what lies beyond   
the doors you guard?"  
  
"Hmm, good question. I hear it's a labyrinth. What do you think Triad?"  
  
"Oh I heard it was a tomb. We've never really been there."  
  
"No, we've only been here." Fluffy says sadly.  
  
"Well we could use all the help we can get, why don't you come with us?"  
  
"Abandon our posts?!" Triad cries.   
  
"Impossible."  
  
"Improbably."  
  
"Highly irregular." Fluffy says nodding.  
  
"Let's do it!"  
  
"Sure thing, I'm ready." Fluffy says grinning.  
  
"You two are most peculiar."  
  
"Us? Nah it's just you." Triad says walking towards the giant iron door in front of them.   
Triad raps on the door gently and it flies open laying a new path before them.  
  
  
AN- hmm is it just me or did the story get a weird Alice in wonderland meets Monty Python   
groove. Eh oh well tell me what you think. 


	10. Karesse

Disclaimer- yes it's true I finally admit it..... I own labyrinth... ok not really but I can wish.

Chapter 10

The huge door is now open letting them accesses the realm beyond. Their new companions Tirad and Fluffy marched forward leading the way.

"Well blimey, who would have thought Triad?"

"Quite right ....it sure is shiny isn't it?"

"Very shiny.."

Sara walks forward till the room envelops her vision. It was indeed shiny. The entire area looked like polished shell. It was more of a cavern then a room really complete with dangling bits of rock jutting about in odd places. Unlike your normal stalagmites and stalactites they where smoothed over as much of the rest of the room was.

"This is what you where guarding? It doesn't look like a labyrinth..." Sara says in awe of her surroundings.

Jareth walks forward till he's at Sara's side. "No they where right on their second guess...this is a tomb... don't ask me how I remember but I believe this is my mother's tomb." He said as a hint of sadness crept into his voice.

Upon further inspection they found a plaque carved into the middle of the room.

_Here lies Karesse Queen of the Goblins_

_May her memory live on in the hearts of _

_Her subjects forever._

Trivael bows his head in respect. "Such a shame... like I said real nice lady."

"Well I think we've gawked long enough let's go." Jareth says briskly and makes his way to the far end of the cavern.

Sara catches up and gently squeezes his arm. "We can stop for awhile if you wish."

"No.. I can't mourn for someone I can't remember. There will be time for that once I get my memories back. Though from the looks of things this did not happen recently so I'm sure I've had enough of mourning in the long run." Jareth says shaking his head.

Fluffy and Triad bounded ahead of them.

"Lookie a sign!" Triad exclaims.

"Wuz it say Triad?" Fluffy says excited.

"It says... It says... well how should I know I can't read."

"Really why Triad I never knew." Fluffy says shaking his head sadly.

"Oh well it's not like you can."

"Actually I can."

"Then why and hell did you ask me what the sign said?" Triad says half-exasperated and half-confused.

"Well now if I read it my self that would be too easy now wouldn't it. No challenge at all I dare say."

"Yet having me read it is a challenge."

"Why yes I'd say so since you don't know how to read."

"But you didn't know that!" Triad says getting quite irate.

"Course I did I know everything."

"You lie. You just told me you didn't know that I couldn't read."

"No I didn't."

"Yes you did you git you just said it."

"Nope no idea what your talking about."

"Oh come off it, not but one minute prior you said to me 'why Triad I never knew'" Triad says mimicking Fluffy's voice.

"Oh, I see." Fluffy says patting him on the shoulder with his paw.

"Well I'm glad you finally believe me." Triad says with a smug grin.

"No, no that's not it at all... I just realized you've gone daft. Shame but it can happen to the best of us."

Triad now quite furious takes a swipe and Fluffy's head.

"Now that wasn't nice." Fluffy says in a chiding manner as he ducks.

Sara clears her throat. "Do you guys think you could hold off on the bickering?"

The two stone terrors lower their heads sheepishly.

Jareth sighs in exasperation. "For those among us that can't read..."

"That means you Triad" Fluffy says interrupting Jareth.

Jareth shoots them both the glare of death. "As I was saying! The sign says wrap around and hear a sound lead away to the underground. Creatures welcome large and small friend to least friend to all."

"I wonder what that is referring too..." Sara says trailing off. "Oh, it looks like there was more words but they've been scratched off. Besides that this section looks intact. What ever destroyed the sign didn't go this way." Sara scans the area, and points to the East.

"It looks different over there I'm going to go check it out real quick you guys can stay here and take a break."

"My lady I shall accompany you." Trivael says following her. They make there way across the vast interior of the tomb till they come to the far wall.

"I thought so." Sara said looking at the destruction before her. "Even from the distance I could tell something was wrong over here... it didn't look shiny and smooth like the rest of the cavern."

"Your right my lady." He said as he cocked his head. "It looks as if someone tore through here and all that is left is rubble and debris." He tentatively pushes on some small boulders piled around the mess that looks as if it was once a doorway.

"It's must have been what ever has been destroying everything else. It's weird I don't know how to describe it but it's like the rock has lost its luster. This section doesn't have the same brilliance as the rest. Almost as if it has been tainted by what ever broke it. Well we can't go through this way we might as well go back to the others."

She pulled out her small notebook as they made their way back looking for clues.

_The group made it's way through the tomb finding the grave of the former Queen of the Goblins. Though it was never a true grave for there would have to have been a body for that. No instead it was more of a monument erected in her honor for all creatures in her domain as well as the neighboring kingdoms to come and pay their respects to this woman who meet such a tragic end. What few still remembered in this forsaken kingdom others still held close to their hearts. For even though the King has become bitter and cruel with the demise of his beloved queen, there where still others who would chance his wrath to honor her. Unbeknownst to the king these crafty people had arranged a tunnel between the two kingdoms to allow mourners to come. Would Sarah and her friends realize this other kingdom might be the best chances to reclaiming the labyrinth? _

_Sara read all this in her notebook and pondered the meaning. Who could be writing this? Better yet why are they suddenly being more helpful? Would the mystery writer ever make his or her self-known? Will Sarah figure out that they are standing right behind her as she's walking..._

Sarah's drops the book as she whips around to confirm what was written, and again the book was correct for the person influencing it was standing directly behind her.


End file.
